


but who grants the wishes for a star

by peachlele



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Jaemin/Renjun, Mutual Pining, Romance, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21847306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachlele/pseuds/peachlele
Summary: Jeno is a star that grants human wishes. Jaemin is a human who wishes for love. A collection of moments as Jeno channels his temporary human form and enters Earth, swearing it to be out of pure responsibility to help Jaemin experience the romance he’s been longing for. Jeno revels in his new ability to actually feel and live, while worrying about the temporary lie of his existence.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39
Collections: ’00 FIC FEST: ROUND ONE





	but who grants the wishes for a star

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #00213  
welcome to my first fic!

His existence was complicated, to say the least. This explosive, yet contained, ball of gas, floating within the vast nothingness of the universe. His time was elongated, feeling almost infinite without a real way of measuring it. Jeno counted his existence in the wishes he granted.

Humans, the tiny beings that inhabited the blue planet that was Earth, were… interesting. Unbeknownst to them, they had a bit of a symbiotic relationship with Jeno, the young star. They fed off his light, his literal energy that came from the burning within him, while Jeno lived to hear their stories, their goals and desires.

Sure, Jeno didn’t _need _to listen to them, but… without them, it was like he didn’t have a purpose. Somehow, he was able to hear human voices. They came all at once, but Jeno could only focus on the most desperate ones. Most of the time, they weren’t pleasant to listen to. Jeno endured a lot of pain before he “got used to it.” He learned of the cruelty of man right from the beginning of his existence. However, Jeno couldn’t completely empathize with what the wishes were asking; from the tone of the voices he could try to understand how dire a situation was, but Jeno couldn’t experience things in the same way. Every time a voice that reached him begged for safety, or for a glimpse of hope, Jeno would be able to help out, but he couldn’t completely understand. His burning core of a heart would break to hear desperate cries, but Jeno would never become fully attached. Bad things happened all the time on Earth, he realized.

Some wishes he had granted didn’t stem from sadness or pain at all. Some wishes were cute even. A young girl’s wish for a little brother, or a mother’s wish for a family reunion. Once, there was even a little boy, maybe 10 years old, who begged for a friend. This boy was bright and incessantly smiling, a facade to hide the loneliness he felt as he always tried to make others happy. People fed off his laughter, but never stayed long enough to return the favor. Jeno knew the type of friend to give to Chenle. Someone who wouldn’t give in too easily to Chenle’s happiness - one who was too honest, and able to see right through his jokes. Jisung was a boy just a few months younger than Chenle. Now, Jeno doesn’t necessarily create new things out of nothing. Jisung existed before Chenle manifested this wish. How Jeno grants wishes is that he tips the scales of fate a little. Maybe an altered ray of light on a woman’s husband, leading her to realize her love and desire to expand the family -- like in the case of that little girl. Maybe a gust of wind through a window to bring attention to a son’s family photo, making him want to visit his mother.

In Chenle and Jisung’s case, Jeno had to interfere a little more than usual, having to influence a family to move across seas just to grant a little boy’s wish for a friend was difficult! It took Jeno a painstakingly long time to build this manifestation of a decision. Days of subtle hints and creations of “signs” for Chenle’s family to take a leap of faith. In most cases, Jeno was able to see outcomes of people’s decisions, and he worked to steer people into the ones that could lead to the wish. It was like he had a roadmap, a stringing maze of lines in every direction, and it was a matter of him telling people the directions. It was a complicated process of subtle changes that always worked, one way or another. Jeno found gratitude and solace from the results of his work, and it gave him enough strength to continue to grant more wishes.

He didn’t always like the wishes he heard, but also Jeno wasn’t obligated to gr--

“God, if you exist, or literally anything out there - shit, this is so dumb… But I’m tired of being alone. And I know that love isn’t the answer to everything and that my problems will still be problems, but I would just like to experience them _with_ someone.”

A voice cuts through the otherwise ringing of voices in the sea of stars. A teenage boy’s internal wish, calling out from his sleep.

Jeno is able to _see_ the source of voices when he focuses hard enough, and he sees a rustling form under blue linens. An aggravated, heartbroken being, desperate for love. Looking deeper, he could see the boy’s face from above, the gentle curves and sharp edges and tiny bumps. It was like Jeno could touch him with his eyes.

Now this isn’t the first time Jeno has heard cries for love. He’s existed for ages, millenia even. Generations upon generations of lonely people seeking people like them. Jeno doesn’t always accept these wishes. He doesn’t need to act upon them all the time, another star could grant the wish, or these things - when it comes to love - could happen on their own - believe it or not. Jeno learned from humans that loneliness creates the deepest tunnel vision, and sometimes the greatest desperation. But with time, things would still happen, without his interference.

This boy was desperate… and magnetic. Jeno felt the intensity of the boy’s desire. Gazing through the boy’s eyes, Jeno could understand how hopeless the boy felt. The drag in his walk had existed for some time now; the coldness of his hands that so desperately wanted to hold another’s. The boy was young and Jeno knew he didn’t _need_ to meddle into this affair. He had other wishers to attend to, right?

But Jeno is too nice, too quickly involved when he notices something. The desire of the boy’s wish was enough to break through his train of thought. What’s one wish? In the scope of things, one wish isn’t a lot for Jeno to grant, but its effects will be great for those at the receiving end.

Jeno could easily peer into Earth, looking through the clouds and the leaves to find a suitable partner for the boy. He searched through the thoughts of the boy to understand who might be adequate.

Jeno learned that the boy’s name was Jaemin. A young student with a love of photography, who drank espresso like it was decaf, and with a major in business because his parents wanted him to do that, but also who would rather use it to open his own PC cafe chain.

Jaemin was simple, pure and without malice. He held a love for everyone near him, but also an insecurity because he felt that his love was unrequited. Jaemin battled with wanting romance, but also wanting to be okay without it - like most young people. To Jeno, Jaemin wasn’t special. He was an average student with an above average yearning for love.

Now, Jeno doesn’t work miracles. He grants wishes, like opportunities for things to come to fruition. Most of the time, it works, like 99.9% of the time. Humans still have free will, ironically, so as much as he makes the opportunities seem perfect, humans can be unpredictable and unconsciously refuse to comply.

But he looked at the people around Jaemin and found an international student named Renjun who might work. Another pure hearted soul who felt an emptiness in his hours, waiting to be filled by someone. Thanks to Jeno, Renjun woke up the next morning with the sudden desire to join a new club. Already a member of the animation club, he decided he wanted to expand into a new medium: photography - “coincidentally” the club that Jaemin was secretary of. The two hit it off, and Jeno could feel the excitement between the two boys as the month went by.

During club meetings Jaemin would recite the rules of camera ISO and aperture, explaining how they worked together, while Renjun would enthusiastically take pictures of Jaemin, testing the new settings. Renjun soon became the first person Jaemin would show new photos to. Outside of club activities, they started to spend almost every hour together between classes, playing games, sharing videos. Though they fit in nicely with each others’ respective friend groups, they also spent a lot of time alone - just the two of them.

Monitoring the two’s development, Jeno soon realized Renjun’s heart wasn’t of the same interest. He wasn’t looking for romance from Jaemin. Sure, Renjun could see the pros of trying something new with Jaemin, they had a lot in common and felt comfortable with one another, but Renjun’s priorities were not the same. He was content on his own, with his school and club activities, and did not have the desire to envelop himself with someone else.

Oblivious to Renjun’s unrequited feelings, Jaemin was quick to pronounce his feelings. He’s all action: eager, impulsive, not withholding. He’s gained good friends quickly before, and caught feelings just as quickly but Jaemin imposed it on himself that Renjun would be different. Renjun had to be.

The two were walking home together. Their respective apartments, not too far from campus - or each other.

“Can I tell you something that might be crazy?” Jaemin turned to Renjun and smiled brightly.

Renjun reciprocates the grin and nods, saying, “I’m kind of used to it. Shoot.”

Jaemin isn’t the type to get nervous, so he says it loud and clear, through smiled teeth and glowing eyes. He’s excited. “I like you, Huang Renjun.”

And he realizes his mistake as soon as he finishes. Or well, not a mistake exactly, Jaemin doesn’t regret his confession because he values honesty. But Renjun’s awkward shifting feet and fidgeting with his jacket hem was enough to want Jaemin to escape into his PC and play games for an unhealthy allnighter - his usual coping mechanism.

Renjun tried to let him down easily, explaining how he felt like he didn’t have the time and did not want the emotional commitment of pursuing a relationship amidst his classes.

When they separated, Jaemin thought about how he hated the last thing Renjun told him, “I do have feelings for you, but now’s not the right time.” Jaemin stubbornly believed that if a person had true feelings, they should be willing to make the time.

Jeno failed, to say the least. It wasn’t the first time, but he was disappointed, of course. After that encounter, he now saw flaws in Jaemin that Jaemin couldn’t see in himself. He threw himself into things too quickly, with little consideration of the other party. Jaemin was headfast and set in his ways about love. But Jeno saw the goodness in Jaemin’s actions, he was entranced by Jaemin’s honesty, trust in himself and confidence.

Jeno realized he needed someone more headstrong, easier going that could balance nicely with Jaemin. They also would have to have the time to deal with the bounding attention that Jaemin wanted to give, but that person had to be able to learn from Jaemin. They had to lack somewhere where he excelled.

That last bit had Jeno a little stumped. And it left him searching the skies and across oceans. He was too invested in this case, a bit of a red flag. Becoming emotionally attached to the wishers from down below was something that was against the rules Jeno set for himself. Especially in the case of romance and love, attachment would lead to an overwhelming sense of perfectionism. It’s a bit of an enigma, finding someone perfect, and a bit of a contradiction because, though he hadn’t experienced it for himself, he _knew_ that relationships could never be perfect. But he found him scouring through person after person, and thinking _they aren’t good enough_.

Jeno lacked in relationship experience - it’s not exactly possible for a star to be romantically intertwined, but he learned many things from the humans he had granted wishes for. He understood what love was supposed to feel like, what it was like to be so attracted to someone, not even just on the physical level, and what it was like to long for someone.

This was bad, because from those past experiences, he realized, he was attracted to Jaemin. It was silly, and Jeno knew it was preventable. He didn’t have to pay that much attention to Jaemin and Renjun. He didn’t have to carefully predict each outcome, trying to meddle in the slightest ways -- like getting a class to be cancelled so the two could spend even _more _time together.

Maybe it was because he was disappointed in his failure that it drew Jeno more into Jaemin. Or maybe it was because Jeno though, even through the millions - maybe billions - of humans Jeno laid “eyes” on, that he could determine that Jaemin was an exceptionally good looking boy. Or maybe it was that Jeno began to empathize with Jaemin. He started to understand the desperation, the longing to feel something new. It made Jeno want to feel love too.

Stars had almost endless power. They tipped the scales of fate for their own desire to grant wishes for others. Stars gave life, and hope and reasons to be… What’s not to say that they couldn’t give themselves a new life too?

It wasn’t _that _uncommon. Jeno was only familiar of the implications with which it came, like the wish would usually be top notch serious. In most cases it typically involved life or death, a taboo in the realm of stars because that would be meddling _too _much - not that there were explicit rules, but Jeno knew there were just some things stars shouldn’t do. Projecting a star’s human form was costly, and it would not last very long. But Jeno wasn’t familiar with the rules. Though Jaemin’s case wasn’t that serious, it was a wish that Jeno decided to take on. So, if he were to go down to Earth in his faux human form, it had to be purely for the sake of granting the wish.

* * *

It was kind of one of those things that stars just know how to do, without having done it before. First, Jeno gained an actual sense of sight, he could see the spinning blue globe, the vastness of space, and then he felt the cold. Jeno, the burning and glowing star, in that moment, finally truly understood bitter, shivering cold. And he hated it, and automatically ruled winter as his least favorite season. The other senses came as he took landing on Earth, strategically placed on campus.

Jeno’s first reaction was to run - to see his reflection for the first time. Stars don’t have control about how each of their forms look like, so selfishly, this was maybe the biggest thing Jeno was looking forward to. He ignored the crunching snow under his sneaker clad feet, the brisk wind against his - thankfully clothed - chest, as those could be admired later. And he approached a dark window on a modestly sized building nearby. Jeno saw his ruffled hair - fluttering in the cold air, a tiny dot of a mole under his right eye. He caressed the bend of his nose, the cutting edge of his jaw and smiled. He watched as his own eyes curved into thin lines, his vision darkening as his smile brightened. Jeno was of average height, with strong arms and glowing pale skin. As he admired himself, in the least vain way possible, he ignored the rushing people as they passed him by, hopping from class to class. He decided that his first day as a human would be for himself, that he could afford just a little self indulgence.

Jeno explored campus aimlessly, trodding through the library shelves, feeling the rough covers of books beneath his fingertips. He kicked through piles of snow along the cement pathways that cut through the school, quickly learning of the horrible feeling of cold, soaking wet socks.

He knew of coffee and wanted something warm to ease the burn of snowflakes in the wind, so he walked to a coffee shop on campus. Jeno was excited to drink something for the first time, but most of all, he was hesitant to talk to someone. At that point, the most he heard from his own voice was some light laughter that he let out instinctively at the sight of his own human face. He knew how to talk, _obviously_, but the act of talking to someone aloud for the first time was nerve wracking.

Jeno rehearsed his order in his head, as he stood in line. _One small latte, one small latte, one small latte_. By the time he reached the cashier, Jeno blurted out his order, without acknowledging the cashier’s “How are you today?” greeting. Jeno flinched at his abruptness of his ordering, and felt a foreign warmth radiate to his cheeks, which was only ignited further by the cashier’s short laughter.

Jeno, the star, knew he had the ability to pay with human currency, through a sleek black card, and a small apartment to stay. Jeno had to prepare himself somehow before touching Earth. How he was able to make these things was unbeknownst to him, only knowing that his power was more extensive than he had initially thought. Sipping his to-go cup with both hands, Jeno walked to his place right off campus and pondered how he would approach Jaemin the next day.

Jeno knew everything about Jaemin, at a superficial level. He knew where he lived, his class schedule and his usual routine around school. He knew where to find him, but he knew he needed to make their first encounter as natural as possible. Jeno knew that the easiest way was to join Jaemin’s club, but Jeno didn’t _really_ care much for photography. He was more interested in other things humans do, like play video games. There was a PC cafe Jaemin often frequented on weekends where he didn’t have much school work to catch up on. But now that Jeno was on Earth, he didn’t have the same abilities to watch over Jaemin to see what he was up to. Unfortunately, Jeno had to rely on fate as well - and just hope he runs in Jaemin there.

The PC cafe was mostly dark, illuminated by LED lights and the screens of the rows and rows of computers. It reeked of the smoke of cigarettes and the clattering of keyboards did none to quell the nerves Jeno faced as he stepped inside. Jeno proceeded to spend nearly two days of his waking hours in the PC cafe - almost all of Friday _and_ Saturday, waiting for Jaemin to walk through the tinted glass doors. And just as Jeno was logging off the computer and tucking away his headphones, after many hours of practicing the controls of PUBG, Jaemin, with a bright bout of laughter followed by an embarrassed hush from his friends, pushed open the door into the PC room. Jeno froze. He did not know it was possible for someone to look so much better up close. Jaemin’s brown hair was haphazardly tossed, but his skin was bright and his smile illuminating. It was like _Jeno_ was starstruck. The person Jeno looked up to, or rather down upon, was finally _right there_, walking towards the empty row of computers behind him. He didn’t know if he should stay a while longer. Jeno didn’t know how to approach Jaemin when he was with friends.

As he debated his next move, Jeno turned around slightly to catch a glimpse of the boy in question, only to find his gaze met with smiling eyes with the white screen of the computer brightening Jaemin’s eyes. Jeno quickly turned around in embarrassment, knowing Jaemin definitely saw, and would most likely say something. Because that was just who Jaemin was, shameless, outgoing and carefree.

“You know, being in a PC cafe, you’d probably want your computer to be on,” Jaemin remarked, one ear of his headphones pulled away to listen for a response. Jeno turned again to face the boy, finding Jaemin sporting a wide grin and a tilted eyebrow. Jaemin didn’t know that Jeno had actually been in the cafe for hours already - learning to play video games - so Jeno capitalized on that, and decided to act like a clueless new patron.

“Yeah,” Jeno chuckled shyly, “I’m having trouble turning it on.”

Jaemin made a confused face, because surely a teen boy knew how to turn on a computer, but he set his headphones down anyway to assist Jeno.

“I come here nearly every weekend without any issues with the computers,” Jaemin mused and pressed the large and obvious power button on the computer’s tower. Sure enough, the screen began to glow and Jaemin leaned against the neighboring table with an amused face.

Jeno scratched his head, “I guess I was pressing the wrong button, maybe?” Internally, Jeno was writhing in discomfort. _Smooth, Jeno. Now Jaemin thinks you’re an idiot_.

“It’s like you’ve never seen a computer before. I’m Jaemin.”

Jeno awkwardly nodded and replied. “Jeno. I just moved here.”

Jaemin smiled, “Well, welcome. You’re already at the usual spot for grueling college students like myself to avoid their responsibilities, so I’m sure you’ll find your way around here just nicely.” He paused and glanced over at his friends at the next row. “What kind of games do you play?”

“Oh, I just kind of started playing Battlegrounds yesterday.”

Jaemin’s jaw dropped, “Oh god. Yesterday? It sounds like you need a few tutorials.” He left to grab his things and rejoined Jeno at the computer next to him and continued, “Lucky for you, I’d say I’m above average.”

Jeno was thankful, to say the least, that such an activity - video games - that humans developed was something so easy for people to bond over. They stayed at the cafe for hours, staying far after Jaemin’s friends had already left. Jeno genuinely enjoyed playing games with Jaemin, though Jaemin wasn’t entirely patient. Every time Jeno would die or fail to listen to his advice, Jaemin would dramatically sigh, but then carefully explain how to improve for the next time.

Throughout their night at the PC cafe, Jaemin politely questioned Jeno, as one might do when meeting someone new. Which posed a struggle for Jeno to maintain a consistent story about his origin, his purpose for moving there. So far, he had coined the story that he was a transfer student starting the new semester as a chemical engineering major - Jeno knew nothing of science, but he had to choose something far from Jaemin’s scope. Jaemin had offered to give Jeno a tour of the school and show him to his classrooms, but Jeno insisted that his classes were online in an effort to disguise the fact that Jeno was not, in fact, enrolled at the university at all.

The next Monday morning, Jeno found himself following Jaemin around campus anyway, because there was no way Jaemin would have missed the opportunity to boast about a school he loved, or the opportunity to hang out with a cute new boy.

“Here’s the most important building of them all, in my opinion. Far more interesting than the pretentious business school building.” Jaemin faced Jeno and proudly stood in front of the double doors to the visual arts building. “We host our photography club meetings here, which I’m assuming you’ll be joining.”

Jeno laughed, “It’s not like you give me much of a choice.”

Jaemin grinned, “You’re quick, Lee Jeno. If only you learned to play Battlegrounds as quickly as that.”

* * *

The two boys met up once a day for the rest of the week. Jaemin took it upon himself to take Jeno, the “new student,” under his wing to make sure he was adjusting to campus well enough. Even through the time between his classes, Jaemin would spot Jeno on campus, dribbling away on a laptop, presumably working on his online course work. He was skeptic, to say the least, about this mysterious boy who transferred to a large university only to take online classes and live alone. But as much as Jaemin urged to understand more, Jeno could only offer vague explanations, and Jaemin wouldn’t allow himself to pry further.

Their friendship developed quickly. It was hard for even a star, to repel away from Jaemin’s friendliness, the ease in the ability to talk to him, and his obvious genuine desire to listen. Jeno pulled from the experiences of wishers he had encountered before, to tell Jaemin stories of his “growing up,” though it was difficult to fully tie the stories with the ones prior.

“So when I was 12 in America-”

“I thought you said you lived in China when you were 12.”

“Oh yeah. Ok, listen. I lived in both countries.”

“Jeno, you’re not that great of a historian of your own life,” Jaemin didn’t mind, and rather found Jeno’s trip-ups amusing, mostly because of how easily Jeno would fluster.

For Jeno, It was fascinating to live in the lie of his human form, to experience the subtle and mundane actions he had seen from above. During his time apart from his new, and really only, friend, Jeno would seek new foods, new experiences. He relished in the ability to taste, to see and to hear. Jeno loved the screeching sound of the opening of doors, the instant relief of walking into a building and sheltering from the cold. He loved the uncomfortable burn in his mouth and nose from eating spicy foods. Quite frankly, the idea of living was astonishing. Jeno had a break from granting wishes. For once in his existence, he completed things for himself. This established a dilemma in these early days of his mission to grant Jaemin his wish. Jeno felt ashamed to be basking in the luxury of life, but he knew it was pointless to feel guilty for experiencing life during his time on Earth.

Jeno did, as promised, join photography club. He shifted uncomfortably at the first meeting of the semester, especially at the sight of Renjun. It was a weird feeling, since Jeno had tipped the actions in Renjun’s life in favor of Jaemin and he felt guilty, oddly enough. Jaemin introduced Jeno to the usual club members as each of them shared some of their work. Jeno was fascinated at the wealth in variety of Jaemin’s friends and was drawn to them as well. Familiar names flew over Jeno’s head: Haechan, Mark, and Doyoung among others. He had seen these faces several times over the course of observing Jaemin.

“Listen, I’m really glad you came to meeting! I know I kind of pressured you, but I hope you enjoyed and if not, by all means you don’t have to keep attending.” For once, Jaemin looked insecure as he awaited Jeno’s response.

Assuringly, Jeno shook his head, “No I was glad I came! Hope you don’t mind seeing me at the meetings every week.”

Jaemin’s confidence quickly returned with a wink, “I definitely wouldn’t mind having a reason to see you every week”

Now Jeno couldn’t delve into the thoughts of humans while he was next to them on Earth, so he wouldn’t be able to explain the intentions behind Jaemin’s remark. Nor could Jeno explain the squirming feeling in his stomach or that same foreign warmth that creeped along his cheeks.

* * *

Jeno did not know exactly how long he had to stay on Earth, but he knew it couldn’t be for much longer than the semester. He had to make haste and ensure that Jaemin would fall for him, and experience the romance he so desired. Jeno already knew of some of the things Jaemin liked, so he tried to use that in his favor.

“Do you want to go to the PC cafe after we eat? I’d really like to learn about Overwatch from you,” Jeno asked Jaemin, knowing that inflating Jaemin’s gaming skills was a sure way to convince him. Jeno much preferred other games, but the way Jaemin’s ears perked and the way his eyes glistened at the sound of Overwatch was enough to assure Jeno that it would be a fun time.

They chatted next to each other, headphones half-on-half-off and mouths stuffed with instant noodles. Jaemin, as usual, was instructing Jeno of how to shoot and _oh my god you shouldn’t go into sentry mode there_.

“Lee Jeno, are there other activities you enjoy besides gaming and spending time with me?” Jaemin said, before cursing in response to his in-game death.

Jeno retorted with a smirk, “Who said anything about that second activity?” He continued, “I like to eat. The food here’s amazing. But also, listen to music and maybe running?” Jeno discovered his affinity for running the night before. The aching pain in his legs and lungs after a few laps around the block was almost addicting.

Though the PC cafe had no windows, Jaemin knew the sun was far gone and he began to log out of the computer. “Yeah, there are some good places around here, but I wouldn’t market the surroundings of campus to be out of the ordinary. It’s refreshing to see someone so content with the simplest of things.”

Jeno smiled, “What can I say? I’m easy to please.”

Jeno was too focused on the screen to catch Jaemin smiling back, “Well, Mr. I’m Easy to Please, what do you say we do something other than game?”

Closing the game, Jeno turned, bemused to Jaemin’s suggestion, “What do you suppose we do instead?”

“I’ll be at your place tomorrow morning! I’m going to take you out,” Jaemin beamed.

Jeno didn’t know if this was a totally platonic friend date. As he stared down at Jaemin’s puff jacket-clad body waving at him from the street, Jeno didn’t even question how Jaemin knew where he lived, or why he agreed to wake up at 8 in the morning to prepare for a picnic on a frigid Saturday in February.

After several simple sandwiches and snacks were prepared and packed into a basket, the pair set off to a nearby park. There wasn’t much snow, thankfully, but Jeno was still shivering and his nose was running nonetheless.

Jaemin seemed unbothered by the midmorning cold, shaking off his jacket to offer another layer to Jeno. “You see, the beauty of this picnic is not in the final destination, nor in its preparation, but rather the excuse I have to let you wear my jacket.” Though they only technically knew each other for a month, Jeno was by far already used to Jaemin’s witty flirts, but Jeno still found himself shrink a tad from embarrassment.

This became their usual: Outings to the PC cafe or some other destination without any pure establishment of what they were. Jeno was hesitant to try to call things into definition. It wouldn’t take a supernatural being like himself to understand that Jeno was seriously… attracted to Jaemin. He knew that his own genuine feelings were required to grant Jaemin an honest wish, but Jeno was worried. Jeno was already beginning to worry for the future, before the beginning of him and Jaemin even started.

He wasn’t human, and he knew he would somehow have to leave Jaemin behind. At that point, it wasn’t even just Jaemin either. Their friends in the photography club and the other acquaintances Jeno had made on campus existed too. These complicated feelings were a first for Jeno, but he knew that his own emotions were not even close to how paramount his purpose for coming down to Earth was. So Jeno dismissed worrying for his plans for the inevitable future, and decided to focus on Jaemin.

Jeno wanted things to run at Jaemin’s pace; he wasn’t too sure of how to develop their friendship into something more, but he tried his best. Jaemin was quick-witted, anyway, so Jeno knew he would find out if he succeeded or not pretty soon.

Jeno curated opportunities for the two of them to spend time alone, offering to help him with his business proposals for class, or planning a trip to a museum to see work for local photographers. Jeno made it obvious that he was listening intently to anything Jaemin had to say, and after learning that humor is a trait that Jaemin adored in others, Jeno would always try his best to make Jaemin laugh. However, it was never the jokes Jeno offered that were funny, but rather his sole effort was what Jaemin found hysterical. It’s not that Jeno was that confident in his abilities at wooing someone, but with all that time they spent together, all the late night calls and texts, Jaemin had to have feelings for Jeno that extended beyond a friend-level, right?

* * *

Jeno stayed behind to help tidy and collect all the photography prints that were analyzed at that week’s photography meeting. He chatted with Doyoung, asking him about his studies as a music production major.

Doyoung quirked, “I don’t even like producing music all that much, unless it’s for my own singing.”

“Lee Jeno! Let’s eat,” Jaemin’s crisp voice called from the doorway, cutting through Jeno’s laughter.

Jeno handed his collection to Doyoung with a bow and followed Jaemin outside. They decided to walk to a hole-in-the-wall near Jaemin’s apartment complex. Jaemin mulled over his midterms and complained about how he lacked the time to take more photos. Knowing Jeno was more of a listener, he urged Jeno to tell more stories from his life prior to moving to Seoul.

On their walk home, or rather to Jeno’s apartment because Jaemin insisted on dropping him off, Jaemin teased Jeno. “You know, you’re overly polite to Doyoung.”

Jeno tilted his head. “Really? He’s a hyung; I didn’t know you could be _too _polite.”

“To the blind eye, Jeno, it kinda makes you look like you like him.”

Jeno’s eyes widened. How could that be? He was hardly close to him, only seeing Doyoung once a week at meetings. Jeno stuttered, “No, that’s definitely not true.”

They reached the front door of Jeno’s apartment. “C’mon, Jeno! Look, I’m your best friend. You can tell me anything,” Jeno frowned at Jaemin’s encouragement. “But I will tell you a secret.” Jaemin theatrically looked behind him and to the sides and whispered, “Doyoung is certainly more interested in himself than other people.”

Jeno laughed and pushed Jaemin’s shoulder, “What’s wrong with self-love?”

Jaemin’s smile faltered, “Nothing, nothing! In seriousness, I wouldn’t recommend pursuing anything with him.”

Jeno rolled his eyes, “Don’t worry. Wasn’t planning on it anyway.” He thought for a moment, “Jaemin, are you, perhaps, jealous?”

His smile returned in full force, “Of Doyoung-hyung? God no. But you’re serious about not liking him?”

Jeno nodded and Jaemin’s smile gentled, “Alright. I’ll let you in on another secret.” Jeno felt his heart accelerate and his mouth dry.

“I like you, Lee Jeno.”

“Me too - or I mean,” Jeno let out a shaky sigh, “I like you too, Na Jaemin.”

Jeno didn’t feel much of a difference in their relationship at first. Jaemin was already quite the hands-on and flirty friend, never hesitating to wrap his arms around another friend, while showering them in compliments or suggestive jokes. As a boyfriend, Jaemin simply continued these flirty antics with Jeno. “You know I’ve noticed something about you that makes you really different,” Jaemin pondered while tracing the contours of Jeno’s fingers. “You kind of glow.”

As winter was finally beginning to melt away, and the first signs of spring were finally sprouting from wet grass, they shared their first kiss after a time they walked home together. Jeno being the one to initiate the move for once, but Jaemin being Jaemin, wasn’t satisfied with just one kiss. Jaemin traced the curves of Jeno’s lips with a fingertip, before pulling Jeno inside for more.

Jeno returned home with a bright smile and bruising lips.

Naturally, Jaemin was the first to say I love you, about only a month into their official relationship, in a kind of spontaneous burst of thought. “With the little knowledge I have about love, I’d like to say that I love you.” Jaemin sighed. “Listen, I know it’s kind of fast to say it, but that’s just how I roll. So, just, take your time.” Jeno appreciated Jaemin’s thoughtfulness and though he didn’t really have much time, Jeno decided to only respond with a kiss.

It took Jeno another month to finally say it back, and it wasn’t that Jeno didn’t love him at Jaemin’s first confession, Jeno knew it in his faux human heart that he did love Jaemin too. It was that he couldn’t admit it outloud quite yet. He came to Earth for the sole reason to give Jaemin romance, not to relish in his own feelings. Admitting he loved this human boy only made it harder for Jeno to think about how to leave.

* * *

Their nights at the PC cafe stopped being the usual, and were instead replaced by nights at Jeno’s apartment. Jaemin practiced photography on Jeno, citing him as his new muse. The two of them practiced cooking together, or played console games in the comfort of each other’s embrace. The PC cafe became a nostalgia trip - a once in a while date night visit. Rainy nights in spring bore nights of purposeless conversations, while lying enveloped in each other.

Heavy questions like “What is something you regret?” would be what Jaemin would probe, while Jeno would offer lighthearted questions like “What’s your favorite sound?”

To the former, Jeno replied with, “Sorry to answer like this, but I don’t really regret anything. I try to do things with an honest purpose, and any mistakes along the way were out of my control.”

And to the latter, Jaemin responded with, “I really enjoy the sound of ambient noise, you know? Like a jumble of sounds, chatter, bugs buzzing or leaves rustling. Oddly enough it keeps me focused, it’s the absence of a specific noise that helps me hone in on what I’m doing, or just the moment I’m living in.”

Sometimes their nights together were quiet, as words weren’t always necessary to express feelings. They simply enjoyed each other’s company; it was in the silence that they memorized the rhythmic pattern of their breathing, noticing as the two individual beats faded into one. In their omission of words, they appreciated the importance of touch. Jeno especially taking pleasure in the mundane act of running his hands through Jaemin’s hair, trying to memorize the way the strands tangled and intertwined with his fingers.

“Tell me what you know about love,” Jaemin sighed into Jeno’s bare chest, one night after their shared attempt to make dinner - Jeno’s room lightly carrying the scent of onion and rosemary.

Now this question put Jeno in a bit of a predicament. He didn’t really know much himself, from a lack of experience, and he didn’t want to complete the cliche and recite that Jaemin was all he knew about love. Jeno had witnessed so much heartbreak, but so many bouts of falling in love during his existence.

“I know that It’s fleeting, and transient, but it’s always there.” Jaemin did not respond for a while. The two laid in silence, their steady breaths the only thing that filled the air. Jeno knew Jaemin wasn’t content with that answer, but he was pondering over it anyway, so Jeno continued, “You know, like, romance will come - and go - when you least expect it. You can’t really wish for it and expect it to show up on your doorstep.”

Jaemin let out an amused scoff, “True. Not really the interpretation I was expecting from my question, but I’ll take it. It’s just that, I’ve had such an idealized version of what love should be, but in reality it’s so much simpler than what I’d imagined.” He traced a finger along Jeno’s sternum and collarbone, eliciting a shiver from Jeno. “Is it really _this_ easy to love?”

Jeno hummed at that thought and was careful with his reply, “It really is simple to love someone else. Learning of the good qualities of another is what’s easy, but learning to appreciate the flaws isn’t.” Jeno had seen humans fight over the littlest things, but also remain together over the simple explanation of love.

Jaemin puffed his cheeks, “Name one of my flaws - might be difficult, I know.” Jeno tsked and smirked.

“You’re a pretty lame kisser.”

“I know you’re lying, but I’ll still prove you wrong anyway.”

* * *

As the semester came to a close and summer began, Jeno realized that experiencing this love with Jaemin was far from simple however. His feelings were genuine, but Jeno was ashamed that this couldn’t last. His human arms that were currently wrapped around Jaemin’s thin body would eventually fade into burning gas. Jeno would lose his senses. He would cease to be able to smell Jaemin’s coconut shampoo and vanilla aftershave. Jeno wouldn’t be able to feel the warmth of his skin and the goosebumps that rose from it during loving nights.

But he would be grateful for what would be left - months of memories filled with experiences he could never have fathomed. He would still be able to see, to continue to touch what lies on the surface of the earth with his eyes. Human life was interesting, exhausting and fulfilling, but Jeno knew he had fulfilled what he sought to do. Romance didn’t need to last a lifetime to make an impact.

It hurt Jeno to leave, or even just to know that what he had on Earth was false and temporary. He was a star, with immense power, but not enough to keep him human forever and he didn’t know if that’s what he would have wanted anyway. For the sake of himself and Jaemin, he used the little power he had as a star in human form to create a reason for Jaemin and him to separate - an explanation-less falling out of love. Because Jeno couldn’t bear creating any sort of animosity to be the source to the end of their relationship. He knew that sometimes relationships had to end somehow, to make room for another person to come along with different wisdom and different mechanisms of love. Jeno wanted to be honest and explain the supernatural circumstances upon which Jaemin stood but it would be absurd and impossible. Most of all it would be unfair to Jaemin, to explain that the man he loved wasn’t human at all, even if the feelings were real.

Jeno trusted in what he felt for Jaemin, the love and admiration, and decided to learn from it, to carry it with him as he continued to grant wishes for others. It helped him have real empathy for the humans he helped, and it made him appreciate what he did even more. He felt more connected to the lives he changed; no longer feeling like a fleeting burning ball of gas with aimless little purpose. Jeno came to realize that his time on Earth was necessary, and that maybe even stars were subject to the unpredictability of fate.

The next semester was Jeno-less, and Jaemin continued on with the explanation that Jeno had transferred out. He knew that Jaemin would be fine, or even greater than fine. Jaemin now carried real experience and lessons from their relationship. Though he was still more headfast than the average person, at least Jaemin was more realistic in outlook on romance. He no longer craved it in his every day. If it were to come, he would let it, but he no longer begged and waited for it. Jaemin understood that timing was out of people’s control, that bad timing was a valid explanation. With a brand new semester, and with Jaemin’s new perspective of love, maybe the timing would finally be right between Jaemin and a certain member of the photography club.

Jeno would continue to grant solace in the other humans that needed it, but still keep a careful eye over his favorite wisher.

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh this was a fulfilling challenge, but so difficult! this is my first completed story, and although it didn't go as i initially planned, I hope you did enjoy reading. @ prompter... thank you for your lovely prompt! but i'd like to apologize a bit LOL i was a bit rushed if you couldn't tell, but i had fun nonetheless <3 i learned a lot from this. lastly, thank you to admin tea for the opportunity to write <33


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